Dance With Danger
by MoonlitNeko
Summary: Neither of them can stop it; this undeniable yet wonderful feeling growing between them. He loved her, he certainly did, but to Bakura, it's Hell, and he doesn't know how to stop hurting her. And Anzu? It was insanity, a blissful and beautiful insanity, to only love one man and to only be loved by another. And to think it all started with a dance. Vexshipping
1. A Dance With Danger

**A/N: Hey guys! Some of you may know me as ThatWeirdOtaku21. It's me; I just changed my username to something less… stupid. I know, I've changed it a lot, but hopefully this is the name I'll stick with. **

**This is a re-write of "Just One Dance", because I saw how poorly I did on it and I think that it deserves to be re-written.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh in any way, shape, or form.**

**X**

"One dance won't hurt, Mazaki." His voice is low and laced with a smooth seduction. His hand is extended towards her in a gentlemanly manner. It was the first time that Anzu had seen Bakura act so kindly towards her.

But she was no fool. She knew Bakura and what he was like. He was cunning, sometimes cruel, and charming when he needed to be. He was charismatic; his voice could be persuasive one moment and forceful the next. His words almost always coerced you into doing what he wanted. He would do whatever it took to get his desired outcome, even if it required doing something so trivial as being nice to a girl, or doing something large such as taking the life of another. She knew for certain that he wasn't above doing something like that.

The problem was that his motives were unclear. Did he really only want a dance with her? Or did he want something else? Bakura always had a reason for doing something, and usually that reason was much more complex than he let on. He couldn't just want a mere dance. There had to be an ulterior motive.

"Your precious husband has given his approval, and I promise not to hurt you. You don't have much of a reason to be hesitating." He drawled, his voice low and husky.

Anzu glared at him, her usual bright azure eyes darkening. "How can I trust you?"

He chuckled, as if expecting such a cliché response. "You don't. You never trust a thief, Mazaki. You'll just have to take your chances."

She had to resist rolling her eyes at his reply. He always left her in the dark like this, giving her mysterious answers to her questions. It was as if he was daring her to take a risk. He knew he was dangerous, and he was aware that she was cautious around him. He didn't like that. Like polar opposites they were, the girl who was only selfless for the good people of this world but careful and sensible around the bad ones. And he, the man who liked danger and lurked in the shadows, waiting to trick that selfless little girl.

But she knew how he played this game and she was playing her cards right. He had to hand it to her, she was smart. Perhaps she really had been paying attention to him all this time. Perhaps he couldn't trick her as easily as he first thought.

"Mazaki," he murmured, his voice sultry, "if I wanted to hurt you I would have done it before. I have no intentions of hurting you… right now, that is."

_Of course _he had to include that "right now" bit at the end. He could never give her a decisive answer. He never had and he never would.

"What makes you think I should believe you?" she questioned.

He answered just as quickly as she had asked. "I believe you already asked me this question, just in a different format. Listen, after tonight, you don't have to trust me, believe in me, or even look my way anymore. All I want is one dance. Just one."

She stepped closer, the look on her face suggesting that she was considering his offer. Just one dance. Was that really all he wanted from her? No information on the whereabouts of Yuugi and the Pharaoh? He didn't want to kidnap her to weaken her friends? All he wanted was a lousy dance?

"And you're certain this is all you want?"

He nodded. "Of course. I am a man of my word."

Anzu extended her hand as if she were going to accept his offer… but then pulled away. She never trusted Bakura, or even liked him, for that matter. Not only was he constantly attempting to hurt her, Yuugi, and her friends during his time that he spent possessed by Zorc, but he simply had a cruel heart that she thought would never change. Not to mention that he abused poor Ryou on a daily basis, and there was nothing they could do to stop him from doing that. Now that they had separate bodies Ryou was free, but that didn't excuse all of the things he did to him.

But she never hated Bakura. Perhaps for a short time, but that hatred would always fade. Or perhaps it was never hatred at all; just brief anger. Of course she would feel anger towards him for what he did to her friends, but she never glared at him with hate. Instead, she found that she would spend most of their battles gazing at him. Many thoughts would cross her mind, but none of them would be hateful towards the mysterious spirit. She often found herself wondering how the spirit ended up within the Millennium Ring, and what possessed him to have such a cold heart. She often had to snap herself out of her own reveries.

His eyes narrowed and he grinned charmingly. It was a smile that could fool almost any girl and make her melt right into his arms. But Anzu wasn't fooled. Bakura had tried many times throughout the evening to manipulate her through his attractive appearance. She had never really noticed it before, but even she couldn't help but admit that Bakura was highly attractive. She had never felt this way around Ryou, who she perceived as more cute rather than handsome. That isn't to say that Ryou wasn't handsome, however she just found that Bakura held more of a handsome appearance while Ryou was, to put it bluntly, adorable.

She was ashamed to admit it, but she was indeed attracted to Bakura, and not just for those gorgeous dark eyes that drew you in as soon as you made eye contact, or his tall and toned frame. He held a certain mystery to him, making him seem dangerous, dark, risky. He reminded her of the Pharaoh in so many ways, only more… _exciting. _And she craved for that excitement again. His mere presence gave her a thrill, a thrill that she had missed from the Pharaoh.

And so, without another thought or concern, Anzu Mazaki began a dance with danger.

He immediately pulled her close to him, to the point where she was against his chest. She was quite surprised by how bold he was, but there had never been a time when Bakura showed shame. He removed his hand from her own and quickly slid it down to her waist, where his other hand held her. Nervously, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he grinned, as if proud that she had accepted his offer.

"You know," he began, a teasing smirk on his features, "I'm glad you finally accepted my offer. The song's almost halfway over."

She matched his smirk with one of her own. "Sorry, but I wasn't exactly fond of the idea of dancing with a psychopath."

He let out a small snicker, clearly amused. "But yet you accepted this psychopath's offer. You sure know how to take risks, Mazaki."

She was slightly put off by the fact that he didn't deny that he was a psycho. He probably knew what he was and, once again, he had no shame. "Life would be boring if I didn't." she said, half-teasing, half-serious.

He seemed taken aback by her statement. "My my, those are some bold words, especially coming from a little girl like you."

Her confident smirk returned. "I can assure you, I'm no little girl."

He chuckled again. He was enjoying her company a lot more than he thought he would, but he certainly wasn't disappointed. "I like that fire that you have within you. I'm just _dying _to extinguish it."

She rolled her eyes. She never took such threats seriously. He was threatening something serious such as breaking her will or shattering her confidence, and she knew that. But she was sure that she wouldn't let him break her. She was stronger than that.

So she ignored the statement and moved on to a new topic of discussion. "So _Bakura, _or should I say, _the Spirit of the Millennium Ring, _why exactly did you want a dance with me?"

He was mildly surprised that she had changed how she addressed him. As if he _wasn't _Bakura. "Rest assured, my dear. You can call me Bakura. It was my name before it ever became my dear host's. And as for your question, well, think about it this way. We're at a party, correct?"

She raised a chocolate-colored brow. "Yes…" she trailed confusedly, wondering where exactly he was going with this.

He continued. "Well, Ryou has gone off to socialize with your friends, and the closest person that I have to a friend is still in Egypt. Leaving me to my thoughts, of course. Which normally I wouldn't mind, but isn't the point of a party to have fun? So I decided to search for some form of entertainment. And then I spotted you, and decided that you were interesting enough to serve that purpose. And believe me, I'm not regretting my decision one bit."

Anzu narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Bakura wasn't really that kind of person… was he? Well, she wouldn't put something like manipulating people past him, but she didn't think of him as the type of person that was interested in things like this, such as dancing, talking to women, or... _socializing._ She figured that, if anything, he would prefer to go outside and demand to be left alone with just him, his mind, and solitude. She didn't know enough about him to be certain, but it was only a guess, and the thought concerned her. It almost made her want to befriend Bakura. But he wouldn't accept her friendship. He only wanted her for one purpose: entertainment. And it had presented itself in the form of a dance.

"I see." she said, biting her lip nervously.

His grip on her waist tightened, and his smile was teasing and almost cruel. His eyes were analytical, and it was almost as if he were reading her mind. "Did you want something more than that, Mazaki?"

Her flushed face didn't go unnoticed. "M-More? Of course not, I didn't even want anything to do with you to begin with." She claimed, turning her head away from him. How dare he accuse her of something like that? Her earlier thoughts then came to mind, and she briefly regretted ever thinking that Bakura was attractive.

She kept her head downcast and off to the side. "I was wrong about you, then…" she whispered, hoping to God that he wouldn't hear.

But much to her chagrin, he did. "Wrong about me? Many people are Mazaki, you're going to have to be more specific."

She shook her head. She could not explain this to him… she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her in a vulnerable state. "I-It's nothing… forget I ever said anything. Please."

But Bakura refused to let it go. She had said something that intrigued him and he wanted-no, _demanded,_ an explanation.

And Bakura _always _got what he wanted.

"Mazaki, don't tell me that you actually thought of me as a considerate person just for asking you to dance. Any man could have asked you to dance, and you would have accepted, wouldn't you? I didn't ask you to dance out of pity, or because I was behaving kindly and wanted a genuine dance with you. I asked you to dance because you are interesting, and I wanted some entertainment on this dull night."

"I know." she hissed dangerously, but the look in her eyes suggested that she was hurt by the statement. Why had he become so cruel all the sudden? It was like a switch had been flipped, and now he was going on the offensive, to make certain that she didn't leave without being insulted by him one way or another. She knew full well why he asked her for a dance. And she also knew that his intentions were not pure. But she had accepted with the thought that perhaps Bakura was not all that bad of a guy.

But here he was, proving her wrong again. Every time she thought that Bakura was a nicer person than he let on, he went around and did something to prove her wrong. It was almost as if he didn't want anyone to know that he had a good side, and that just a part of his heart, no matter how small, held good within it. She wanted to reveal that part of his heart, if it even existed.

But he only continued to add more fuel to the fire of anger, hurt, and shame growing within her, and he was still completely oblivious to her negative reaction. "I'm nothing like that Pharaoh, Mazaki. You of all people should know that. This isn't some sort of fairytale."

She hid her eyes from him and suddenly removed her arms from his neck, throwing them off of the beat of the song. Of course. It wasn't a fairytale. She was married, had a job, and a home. This wasn't some magical story, it was real life. And the unfortunate fact was that Bakura was not, and never would be, a Prince Charming by any means. Besides, she didn't, she shouldn't, _need _a Prince Charming. She had Atem. She didn't need Bakura. If he insisted on keeping that barrier around his mind and his heart, and hurting others to do so, then why should she have anything to do with him?

It was silent for a few moments between them before Anzu finally spoke. "You're right. You're nothing like Atem. He's kind, caring, smart, funny, sweet, and brave. And you? You're nothing but a heartless coward who demeans and hurts others to further his own power as well as his overinflated ego! I was a complete and utter _fool _for thinking for a second that, just maybe, that there was an actual good, human side of you!"

She grabbed his wrists and threw them off of her waist, glaring up angrily at him, tears forming in her sparkling sapphire eyes. The utter shame and shock of the fact that she was contradicting her previous thoughts was pressing her on. "But obviously I was wrong. Dead wrong. You'll never be human, Bakura. Just stay away from me and Atem!"

As she furiously stormed away from his presence, Atem was already running up to her, asking her what was wrong and if Bakura had hurt her. Yuugi and Jounouchi soon followed after, and they all sent Bakura stares full of hatred and bitter disgust.

And with every last ounce of her fury, she turned around to face him, and viciously shouted at him in a voice that didn't seem like her own. "You should have just been obliterated alongside Zorc!"

With that, she, Atem, Yuugi, and Jounouchi began walking towards the exit of Seto Kaiba's mansion, leaving behind a stunned Bakura.

**A/N: Okay, so I guess this is still technically a re-write, only this time I'm considering turning it into a story. Any thoughts? Should I leave it as a one shot or continue?**

**Read and review!**

**~MN**


	2. Monster

**A/N: Hey guys, I've returned with chapter two. Hopefully this one is better and longer than the last. **

**A couple of people have requested that I continue this story, so here I am. I've decided to turn this into a full story. I don't know how long it will be just yet. **

**Thank you to those who have reviewed, followed, and favorited my story so far. I really appreciate it! :D**

**X**

"_You should have just been obliterated alongside Zorc!"_

The words endlessly bounced around in his mind. If Bakura were any ordinary human man, he would have chased her down, apologized to her, and told her that he never meant any of what he said. But that was just the thing. Bakura was no regular man, and he certainly didn't care for her in any way… or so he thought. Love, caring for others, friendship, compassion... he never took the time to merely consider any of it. He was always too busy with his plans to worry about something so trivial and inane. Besides, he didn't think that he was capable of any sort of caring for another person. His heart had been hardened by years of torment, so he closed off his emotions for fear of this torment happening again.

In any other situation, he wouldn't have cared at all what she thought or said. Had it been some random girl running away and crying about how big of a jerk he was, he would have brushed it off and went on with his life. So why couldn't he do that with Anzu? Why couldn't he just brush off her words and treat them like nothing? He didn't know very much about Anzu, so wasn't she the equivalent of "some random girl"?

Bakura simply could not understand why her words had taken such a toll on him. The moment the words left her lips, he felt as though his insides were being violently twisted. It was a feeling he couldn't accurately describe, but it certainly was not pleasant. He would never say it out loud, he even despised admitting it to himself, but her words almost felt like someone was relentlessly stabbing him in his torso. He couldn't categorize this feeling at all, but he didn't like it. Not one bit.

He chuckled bitterly. He could never seem to be around a mortal soul without hurting them. He tries to be on his best behavior, and what happens? Everyone ends up hating him because he makes a girl cry. But it wasn't just tears. It was throbbing hot fury that he had evoked from her. He had pushed her to her very limit, and his last words had set her off.

It wasn't like he was not used to being compared to Atem. Throughout his days in ancient Egypt, those High Priests were always going on about how great and holy the Pharaoh was, and about how he was nothing but a "lowlife thief". He could even recall a time when one of the Priests had said that he wasn't deserving of breathing the same air that the Pharaoh did, or walking on the same ground that he did.

But they were right. All of them were right. He was a killer. A sadist. A _monster. _He should have been obliterated with Zorc. He was connected to the evil God's soul for the longest time, not to mention being possessed by him on more than one occasion. He slaughtered innocent people and tortured them, all for the sake of gaining the power necessary for revenge.

"_Why was I even resurrected?" _he asked himself. _"If my soul was connected to Zorc's for so long, if my life has been utterly wasted with murder and despair, then why was I-"_

"What did you do to her?"

Bakura snapped himself out of his thoughts and turned to find that the source of the voice was standing behind him. Ryou was glaring intensely at him with those dark brown eyes of his, shaking his head with disgust. His fists were clenched at his sides, and he looked quite tense, as if he were ready to defend himself if Bakura made a move to attack him, which he had done before.

If Ryou provoked Bakura, he would not hesitate to attack Ryou. He can recall times when the former Spirit of the Millennium Ring would pin him against the wall and threaten his life, all for saying the wrong things. Bakura's patience with Ryou was very thin, and he was much more bitter towards him than anyone else. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he was.

Bakura looked down. He was not in the mood to explain himself to Ryou. "Nothing. I didn't do anything to her." He then turned to walk away, but Ryou's next words stopped him dead in his tracks.

"You're a liar."

He met Ryou's gaze with his own eyes of burning chocolate brown. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Tell me what you did to Anzu to make her so upset. Did you hit her?" Ryou asked bravely. He had a courageous front, but Bakura could sense the fear behind his façade.

He shook his head. "I didn't hit her. I wouldn't do that."

Ryou was about to object to it, but decided to move on to a different question. He would only deny it further if he decided to pursue the question. He knew that Bakura wasn't above hitting a woman. He wasn't a saint. Heck, he wasn't even _human._ "Then what did you say to make her cry like that? I've never seen Anzu like that before. She never cries around us, ever. She hates showing weakness around us."

Bakura grit his teeth. What was he trying to say, that she wasn't weak? The girl had too much emotion, and that was what made her fragile. "If the girl isn't weak then why did she start crying in a public place, Ryou?! Why does she break so easily with words?!" he hissed, getting dangerously close to Ryou.

But Ryou did not back down. Bakura wouldn't hurt him here. "Because Anzu is strong for us when we can't be! When we're weak, when we have low confidence in ourselves and others, she is the one who is strong for us! She puts her own feelings aside for our sake! Don't you _understand_, Bakura?! She suffers more than any of us! Can't you understand that words can hurt more than actions?!"

Bakura snorted and backed away from Ryou, his eyes narrowing. Did Anzu really do such a thing? Was she really so considerate that she would ignore what she felt for the happiness of others?

It was then when Bakura came to a realization. If what Ryou said was true, then that would mean that she spent little time focusing on how she felt and more time focusing on the wellbeing of others. Meaning that when she was alone, she was vulnerable. But when she was with her friends, she was unbreakable. That was why she had snapped, why she had said such things. He had broken her. The girl who seemed so strong and confident had finally been shown that she was not invincible.

His hair shadowed his eyes as he spoke. "That's it. That's why she's so weak. She can break easily when people are hurting her directly, but not when they're hurting the people she cares for."

Ryou blinked and took a moment to process what he was saying before he spoke again. "You're wrong! Anzu is self-confident, and always has belief in herself! Even though sometimes it may seem like she tries too hard for us, she really does have a lot of confidence in herself! Stop trying to say that she's weak when in reality, it's _you _who's the weak one!"

The same switch that had been flipped before was flipped once again.

Bakura's eyes took on a dark tone as his voice became bitterly cold. "Watch your mouth, Ryou. Have you forgotten who you're talking to?"

Ryou immediately felt that familiar fear coursing through him. The fear of being abused for all that time by Bakura came back and struck him, and rather hard at that. But he wouldn't let that fear overcome him this time. Bakura was physically stronger, and could hurt him. But he couldn't kill him. Bakura lived off of him, so killing him would be stupid. Ryou could hold his own now that he had his body back.

So he didn't drop the subject. He faced the former Thief King with a determined expression. "I know exactly who I'm talking to."

Bakura gasped at the sudden boldness of his previous host. He hadn't thought that Ryou had gained that much strength since they separated. But his confidence had definitely improved, as well as his strength. Normally he would have slapped him or punched him by now, but they were in public, and his mind was too muddled to do something like that. He couldn't focus his complete attention on Ryou anymore, since before he approached him he was having some intense thoughts.

"So then what do you want from me, Ryou? To tell you that I was wrong and that Mazaki isn't weak? Or for us to drop it and go home? Or perhaps to go apologize to Mazaki for everything I said?" he questioned, searching Ryou's eyes for an answer.

"I…" Ryou swallowed, struggling to find a response.

"Save your breath," the thief interrupted, "I already know what I'm doing. You can do whatever you please, just keep the door unlocked for me if you get home before I do, which I'm positive you will." Bakura then turned towards the exit, but Ryou stopped him once more.

"Wait! What are you going to do?"

He turned around and gave Ryou his familiar bone-chilling grin. "I'm going to go pay Mazaki a visit."

And with that, he made his way for the doors again, ignoring Ryou's pleas and warnings.

X

"I'll be back soon, Anzu. I have something I need to give to Kaiba." The King of Games said as he slid on his jacket.

Anzu looked up at him from her spot on the couch. "Okay, but hurry back please."

He sighed. He detested having to leave his wife like this; in such a broken and empty state. She had been depressed ever since they left Kaiba's mansion, and there was nothing he could do to cheer her up other than be there for her. He couldn't soothe her pain, simply because she never told him what Bakura did to her. Part of him longed to search for the thief and beat him to a pulp for making his wife shed tears, but then he remembered that he had sworn not to get into another fight with Bakura. He had fought with him for 3,000 years. That was long enough.

"I'll be as quick as possible, and when I get back I'll take you for some ice cream. How does that sound?" he asked, in hopes that that would make her feel, even if only a little, better.

He smiled when he saw her perk up. "That sounds great."

"Good. Well then, I suppose I'll head out now. Lock the door when I leave." He started to head for the door, but stopped and turned around to look at Anzu, his amethyst eyes shining with warmth and adoration. "I love you."

She smiled; she absolutely loved hearing those words from him. They always made her happy, no matter what mood she was in. "I love you too."

He winked at her before disappearing into the hallway, leaving her alone in their shared two bedroom apartment. She got up and locked the door, and when she sat back down she turned on the TV just to see what was on. She had never had too much of an interest in television, but there were some shows that she had an interest in, and would watch if she was bored.

When Mother Nature came along to pay her monthly visit, she often found herself flipping through the on demand menu to watch a romance movie from the late 90's or early 2000's. They always seemed to calm her, especially since she got irritable during that time.

As she flipped through the TV menu, thoughts of her dance with Bakura crossed her mind. Before he had started to insult her, she was enjoying herself. Despite his innocent teasing and the dangerous aura that he emitted, she found that she liked being around him, and longed to see that side of him. But everything changed when, for no reason at all, he began to degrade her, crushing any hope she ever had of being his friend. Was a friendship with her so bad that he had to go out of his way to prevent it from happening? Or did he just enjoy seeing her in pain?

As her desired show began to play on the screen, she noticed that the lock on the door was… twisting? She raised a brow and rubbed her eyes; was she seeing things? She looked again to find that it was not her imagination; the lock on the door was twisting and turning before her.

Her blood immediately froze in her veins. A cold sweat began to bead down her forehead. Atem certainly could not be back yet; he had just left. And if it were one of her friends, they would knock. That could only mean one thing.

Someone was attempting to break in.

Anzu paused the TV and hurried for the kitchen. Frantically, she dug around in the drawers, until she finally found her weapon of choice. She remembered that she and Atem had organized the drawers not long ago, so the knives had a new spot.

Dismissing such unimportant thoughts, Anzu grabbed the phone and rushed upstairs to her and Atem's bedroom. She shut the door, locked it, and leaned against it, her heart pounding madly against her chest. She hoped that whoever it was would find nothing here and just leave, but she doubted that. Until the police got here, she would have to fight for her life if the criminal found her.

She heard the door click open and the criminal take their first steps into her apartment. Whoever it was sounded like they were wearing boots of some sort, judging by how loud their footsteps were. She heard the criminal let out a small chuckle.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are, Mazaki…"

Anzu swallowed thickly, her heart now going a mile a minute. She assumed that from the voice, the criminal's gender was male. How did this person know her name? Was he stalking her?

She looked down at the phone in her hand. All she had to do was dial 3 numbers and quickly explain the situation. The police station was five minutes from her apartment complex, so she would not be here alone with this guy much longer. But why was she hesitating?

"You can't hide from me Mazaki. I know you're here."

There was that "Mazaki" again. The way this criminal spoke her last name sounded… familiar. She almost felt like she knew this person. But then again, most of the people she knew wouldn't just break into her house at ten o'clock at night.

She heard the criminal let out an exasperated sigh. "You know me quite well, Mazaki. Here, I'll give you a hint. I am the owner of the Millennium Ring. So stop playing hide and seek and come out."

She gasped as realization hit her. The person in her house was Bakura! But what would he be doing at her house? And couldn't he just knock?!

Anzu let out a sigh herself as she unlocked the door and trudged downstairs. She set the knife on the coffee table, just in case. "What are you doing here?" she asked him.

He blinked and turned to face her. "Oh, so you are here, Mazaki." He didn't look amused or angered with her presence. His eyes however, suggested otherwise. They were swirling with emotion, something that was completely different than the usual cold and empty depths of brown.

But she set that aside for now and focused on the fact that he had just committed a huge crime. "What makes you think you can just break into my apartment?! I was so close to calling the police!"

He ignored her statement. Within an instant she found herself trapped against the wall, his hands pressing her shoulders against it. When she saw his face, she noticed that he looked furious, judging by the way his mouth was drawn into a tight line.

"You and I," he hissed, his voice laced with venom, "have something we need to discuss."

Her bravery wasn't faltered by his intimidating presence. "I have nothing to discuss with the likes of you."

He slammed her harder against the wall, his fingers pressing into her skin hard enough to give her bruises. "Do not speak to me that way, you insolent girl. I have the power to kill you, right here and right now."

She groaned in pain, and soon felt that fear consuming her once more. This was like the Bakura they had faced in the past. The Bakura she saw at Kaiba's mansion was different, and that was the one she had longed to see again. What caused his sudden personality change? Did anything that she said have to do with it?

He smirked when he noticed that he had successfully subdued her. "Tell me something Mazaki," he whispered, his voice dark and raspy, "who or what do you think I am?"

Anzu blinked at having been given such a question. She never expected that he would ask for her opinion on him. She internally smirked; he probably won't like his answer.

"I think you're a psychopathic monster."

He chuckled and took the insult as if it were nothing. "As I expected to hear. I'm a bloodthirsty _monster, _aren't I Mazaki? A _demon_ from the depths of _Hell_." He licked his lips.

"I never said that." she replied boldly. When she noticed his silence, she decided to question his motives. "What's with you? Why are you acting like this? This isn't the person I danced with."

He grinned, attempting to make his smile seem innocent. "What? I'm a _monster, _so I'm just playing the part."

When she fell silent, he continued. "So then let me ask you another question: Do you think I have a soul? If I am this psychopathic monster as you say I am, then surely I don't have one, right?"

Anzu felt her confidence begin to waver, but she did not give in. If this was the game that he wanted to play, she could play too, and just as good. "No… if you are a demon as you say you are, then you can't have a true soul."

He wanted to wince, but refrained from doing so and continued his interrogation.

A wide grin split his lips. "I have one final question for you then, Mazaki. If I am a psychopath, a monster, a _demon, _then…" he leaned in close to her; close enough to whisper in her ear.

"Why wasn't I obliterated alongside Zorc?"

Her blue eyes widened to the size of saucers as she sharply took in a breath. She recalled her earlier statement at the party. He had taken her statement and thrown it right back at her as a question. A question that she did not know the answer to. And even if she did know the answer, she didn't think she could give it to him.

His grin widened. "Come on Mazaki, surely you can answer this if you have the audacity to say that I should have been killed alongside Zorc. Let's say, hypothetically, that you are correct, and I have no soul. I am a sadistic, demonic, monster with no conscience, and nothing on my mind but a demanding lust for blood. If all of that is true, then why wasn't I killed with Zorc after attempting to resurrect him? Shouldn't I be rotting in Hell right now with him?"

She was silent. She could think of no reason as to why. But if that was the case, then what did it all mean? Did it mean that Bakura was not at all what she said?

"I…" she murmured weakly, feeling herself give in to him.

He pushed her further against the wall. "Well? I'm a heartless, horrid, soulless monster, aren't I? So why am I not dead? Why am I still here, when I should be suffering my eternal punishment for my sins?"

His constant pushing and teasing forced her to give a weak and uncertain answer. "I don't know!" she suddenly blurted out without thinking. Bakura's eyes widened in amusement at her statement, waiting patiently to see how she would explain herself.

"I-I don't know why you're still here… after doing the things that you did. But there's one thing I do know. That if you are still here, and not in Hell alongside Zorc, then… I…"

He was mildly surprised, but pressed her on. "You what?"

Anzu mustered up the rest of her courage to say her next words. "Then I was wrong!"

He felt his heart rate increase in sudden surprise, and his curiosity as to what she had to say was heightened. Nonetheless, he patiently waited for her to continue.

She let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding. "I was wrong. The fact that you weren't obliterated alongside Zorc… the fact that you're still here in this world… has to mean that you do have a soul, a conscience, a _beating heart, _just like the rest of us. You're not a demon, or a monster. You're a human, with thoughts and feelings, even if you don't show them like other people do."

"_I understand now."_ She said to herself as she finished speaking. _"I understand why he came here. He asked me all of these questions as a way of demanding an apology. Which means that… what I said back then… must have hurt him."_

She looked up at him with wide sapphire eyes to find that she sent him into a stunned silence. His eyes were wide, and his breathing was steady, but she could tell that his mind was in a frenzy of thoughts. Was she right? Were all of those questions just a form of asking for an apology? Was he really hurt by what she said? It would explain his sudden personality change…

His grip on her shoulders loosened, and Anzu took this opportunity to speak again. "I'm sorry."

He looked down at her, his eyes still in a position of disbelief. "What are you apologizing for? I never asked for-"

"Perhaps not directly," she interrupted, "but I know that's what you came here for. Why else would you have asked me all those questions? Bakura… I don't know if what I said hurt you or not, but… for what it's worth, I'm sorry. Regardless, what I said back there was uncalled for, and I-"

Her next words were cut off when Bakura grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into his embrace. She felt her words die in her throat as she stood limply in his arms. He was holding her so tightly; almost as if he let her go she would fall to the ground and shatter.

"Bakura, I…" she murmured weakly, unsure of what to say, what to do. Should she protest?

"Shut up," he snapped, "just shut up."

Anzu found that the more he held her, the weaker she grew. She didn't know whether or not she should hug him back. Atem's mere existence had been forgotten ever since he began questioning her. But she remembered him as he held her, and it was completely different from the way Atem hugged her. Bakura held her as if she was the only valuable thing in this world. As if she were the most important person, the most precious person, the only thing in life worth protecting. He made her feel so… _cherished._ His arms… were warm. His whole body was warm. He held her with life in his eyes. No words or further apologies needed to be given. Everything that Bakura needed to say could be felt through his arms. Atem's embrace was similar, but not the exact same. His embrace could not give her this feeling of safety, protection, and another feeling that she couldn't quite name. She found it quite ironic how Bakura gave her this feeling when he held her, but at any other time she got a shot of adrenaline from the dangerous aura he gave off. It was funny how she craved excitement and danger as well as safety and protection from the same person.

Anzu knew her limitations. She knew that if she were to hug him back, she could be risking her relationship with Atem. But right now, none of that mattered. She felt like if she didn't return the embrace, she would not be forgiving him, and their apologies and exchanged words would be meaningless. With those thoughts in mind, Anzu squeezed her eyes shut and returned the embrace. She felt him tense beneath her arms before his muscles loosened once more, and he relaxed under her touch.

This moment… why did it feel… so right? Why did she feel right at home when she was with him? Why did every moment she spent with him feel so natural? It was almost like… this was how it should be.

Anzu soon felt those thoughts leave her mind when Bakura's arms left her body. He gazed at her, his eyes glistening with a new emotion, one of which she couldn't define. She had a feeling that he couldn't either.

"I… sorry." That was all he could manage to say before he walked towards the door. She was about to follow him, but realized that perhaps letting him go was the best choice. He probably didn't even realize what he had just done.

She walked back over to the couch and sat back down, her mind in a daze. Her body still felt weak after being held like that. In fact, now that she thought about it, no one had ever held her so lovingly before. Not even Atem. She would have never guessed that Bakura was capable of putting so much emotion into one hug. She never would have guessed that Bakura was capable of putting any amount of emotion into anything.

She laid her head down at the end of the couch, deciding that she would get some sleep. She knew that she wouldn't be able to speak to Atem properly right now, so it would be best if she just slept. And she knew that he wouldn't wake her while she slept. She tossed a blanket over herself and let her mind drift off into a deep sleep, pushing back the thoughts of what had occurred mere moments ago, and her husband who would be back at any moment.

**A/N: Wow, that took a while to write. It was 17 pages on Word. XD That was a lot longer than the last chapter. **

**I am well aware that I am getting started with the Vexshipping rather quickly in this story. But don't worry, I intend to include some drama later on, so this story isn't going to be too short.**

**I hope that you all have a Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday you choose to celebrate. Consider this my gift to you. :)**

**Follow, favorite, and/or review please!**

**Stay tuned for the next chapter everyone! **

**~MN**


	3. Favor

**A/N: Hey guys, I've returned with chapter 3. There isn't really going to be anything special in this chapter, but it is indeed integral to the plot because I included a little something at the end. ;)**

**Now then, please allow me to take the time to reply to some reviews.**

**Anzu (guest): Thank you for the feedback! So far everything you've had to say about my writing has been positive, and I appreciate that! I've noticed that you've reviewed almost all of my Vexshipping stories, and some of them are pretty old! I hope that you've noticed an improvement in my writing skills as time has gone on. **

**And in regards to your review of my last multi-chapter story, **_**The Promise,**_** allow me to direct you and/or your friend to my profile. There you will find my opinion on character bashing. **_**The Promise**_** was in no way meant to bash Seto Kaiba or Priest Seto. I love Seto, I really do! And, honestly, I don't think that was bashing. I did not kill off Seto, I never removed him from his position as King, or anything that could be considered bashing besides writing him a little OOC. But this is fanfiction, so any character being OOC, whether it be on purpose or accidental, is normal. Normal it may be, but it is not always desired. I understand that. I also understand if your friend and their "club" are upset, but I ask that they not take it out on me. Being part of a fandom means dealing with criticism of a character.**

**Thank **_**you**_** for your continued support, and from this experience I'll try to refrain from creating a story like **_**The Promise **_**again. I did not realize it was going to offend any fans of Seto. I realize that some of the content in that story is borderline character bashing, but I'm not going to delete it. **

**Aqua girl 007: Thank you very much! :D Ah, Bakura is such a difficult character to write, because I have two ways of writing his character. I don't know which way people like best so I just combined them. XD**

**Sakura-chan1234: Thank you! And I'm definitely going to continue! **

**DaRkDeStRuCtOr: Thank you! :D You like Screamshipping as well?! I love that pairing, but I've never considered writing a one shot for it. But I wouldn't mind writing you one if I can get some inspiration for it at some point. :) **

**Please enjoy! :) **

X

The rain felt surprisingly nice, despite it being 35 degrees outside. To most people, as Bakura had come to notice, the heavy downpour felt like freezing needles jabbing into your skin. But Bakura had always liked the rain, and preferred it over sunny skies. Perhaps that was because during his time in Egypt, all he ever saw was sunny skies. The gray, swirling clouds, the roar of thunder and the crackle of lightning... he loved thunderstorms, even when it was only a few rumbles of thunder and a drizzle of rain. He didn't know exactly why, but he found an odd sort of comfort in the rain.

He was in no rush to return home. He was out past curfew, but that had never stopped him before. Besides, Ryou would not be happy to see him when he did return, and Bakura did not want to face his scolding just yet. Maybe he would get lucky and the brat would be asleep when he came home.

He chuckled bitterly. He highly doubted that. Ryou hardly ever slept after his mother and sister's death, and even when he gained his own body, he still suffered from nightmares of that day, and sometimes, of _him._

Bakura never regretted what he did to Ryou. If he had any regret, it was choosing such a weak host. However, he was proud of the boy for finally gaining a backbone after all this time. He had his ups and downs in terms of weakness. When he had the strength, Ryou would put up a fight whenever Bakura attempted to harm Yuugi and his friends. And a lot of times, he was the reason he lost.

He never hated Ryou either, in particular, that is. He had a hatred of people, a hatred of the world. But it was this world that spawned that hatred. Bakura was surprised that Ryou managed to find a source of happiness in his life after losing nearly everything. His father hardly ever visited, he was tormented by the other kids, and part of his family was gone. Not to mention that Yuugi and the others barely consider him a friend. When _he_ lost everything, he lost all hope for the world and instead chose to stand against it in hopes of satisfying his corrupted heart. And he kept it up for over 3,000 years; the pain of failing preventing his spirit from reaching eternal rest. And yet again, he failed, his mind becoming corrupted once more in his mad search of power. _He _never got the chance to search for that happiness, to head towards the light... one of the reasons he hated humanity was because he was jealous of their happiness.

But things were different now, or so he believed them to be. Zorc was gone, which prevented him from starting another war with the Pharaoh, who also remained in this time. But with Zorc gone, he had lost his purpose, his reason for existing. Why was he here? What did life have to offer him but more suffering? He would rather receive his fate at the gate of the Afterlife then live another lifetime of torment.

He had failed to save his fallen village _again. _Their souls were still trapped in the Millennium Items, which were now buried in the depths of the Earth. He was alone, but that was nothing he wasn't used to. And to top it all off, he was stuck in the modern world, with more careless people than there were in ancient Egypt, and with Yuugi's _friends. _Ryou tried again and again to get him to become friends with Yuugi and the others, but he refused. Not to mention that the others refused to forgive him. Oh well. It wasn't like he wanted their forgiveness anyway. He knew what he was, and if the others failed to accept that then there was nothing he could do.

There was only one person in this world since the day he started his new life that had accepted him for who he was, and made a choice to try to understand him, save for Ryou, of course. Ryou was there for him because he had to be.

But this person was someone he would never expect.

Anzu Mazaki.

He snickered lightly as he walked down the pitch black streets of Domino City. It was ironic, wasn't it? That one of Yuugi's friends, a person who was supposed to hate him, did not, and gave him a second chance. He would expect that sort of thing from Yuugi, but the Pharaoh probably kept him from doing so. And yet, he was so confused as to what she was trying to do, that he completely shut her down without even thinking.

For as long as he could remember, he held the belief that humanity was born to hate and stand against him. He believed that the world was here to prolong his suffering. This created the belief that in turn, he was supposed to harm humanity. Hurting people was what he was created for, because there was no human soul to show him otherwise.

But on this night, Anzu Mazaki had done so. She had smiled for him, stood up to him, apologized to him, cried for him… and she hardly knew a thing about him. But then again, he hardly knew a thing about himself. Did he even want acceptance, friendship, and love? Did he even want his loneliness to end?

Of course not.

So then what possessed him to throw everything he ever worked for away, and hold Anzu in his arms? Of all women, he never thought that Anzu Mazaki would be in his arms. He didn't think he would ever hold anyone in his arms, because his mind and heart weren't capable of showing love or affection. Yet he had hugged her so naturally; it wasn't awkward and it didn't feel strange. Everything about holding her felt so… _right. _It was like they fit together perfectly, and he couldn't seem to wrap his head around why. The stranger part of it was that when he let her go, he wanted more.

He couldn't at all understand what was happening to him. He didn't love anyone, and he knew that he certainly didn't love her. But the feeling of pure bliss when he held her, and the warmth that coursed through him as he danced with her, was not a lie. It wasn't a dream, or his imagination. For the first time in a long time, he was content, and happy with just being in her presence. He wasn't even sure if he could call it happiness, since he hadn't felt it in so long, but there was no other word to describe this euphoric feeling that had been awakened.

And he craved it. He longed for it again, and the only person that could give him this feeling was her. He yearned for the happiness that he had never known, and if he ever did know it, he couldn't remember it. This feeling was so new, yet so confusing.

Anzu Mazaki was not his, so he could not simply pursue her. And besides, using her for such a feeling when she most likely hated or pitied him, was selfish. But he was a thief, and being selfish was one of his main qualities. That was why he chased revenge over a time span of thousands of years.

He wouldn't chase her. She was far out of his reach. He could always take her by force, but then she would hate him more than she already does. Besides, having her with him against her will would not give him that same pleasure. He had his chance and he ruined it. He hurt her, just like he hurt every person he came across.

"_Ryou was right when he said I was a walking disaster…" _he thought bitterly as he came across Ryou's apartment complex. He wondered if he should even return home, but then he remembered that if he did that Ryou would throw an even bigger fit when he did return. With a sigh, he went inside and headed up the stairs. Ryou lived on the fourth floor, but walking was better than dealing with the people in the elevator.

X

When he arrived at the apartment, the door was unlocked, so Bakura knew right then that Ryou was here. He didn't announce his arrival and quickly kicked off his shoes, hoping to escape to his room before Ryou would even notice he was here. But unfortunately, as fate would have it, Ryou appeared in the living room from the kitchen, a dish towel in his hand.

"Ah, Bakura, you're back. I thought I heard someone come in. I made dinner if you're hungry."

Bakura shook his head. "Just put in the fridge or something, I'll eat it tomorrow."

Ryou frowned. "Bakura, can you please at least eat some of it? You haven't eaten since yesterday morning and I'm starting to get worried."

Bakura snorted in amusement. "Worried? That's a new one."

Ryou rolled his eyes. "I'm being serious. Believe it or not, I would rather you not die, and I want you to make good choices for yourself. Not eating is not a good choice."

Unfortunately for Ryou, Bakura had no idea how to properly handle people worrying for him. "I'm just not hungry, is that a problem?"

"It can become a problem. But if you're seriously not hungry, then I won't force you to eat." Ryou muttered in a defeated tone.

"Thank you." Bakura replied sarcastically as he made his way towards the staircase.

"You're going to bed already? You're usually up pretty late." Ryou said from the kitchen. Bakura figured he must've heard his footsteps on the stairs.

"It's already late enough, if you haven't noticed. And besides, I'm just not in the mood for staying up any later. Don't try to wake me up early tomorrow either, because it's not happening." Bakura replied crossly.

Ryou knew that if Bakura was woken up early by another person, he would murder that person without hesitation or remorse. In other words, he was much less tolerant in the mornings, so ever since his last experience with a tired Bakura, he's been letting him get up on his own.

"I know. I won't try it, not after last time. Goodnight."

The thief didn't say anything back as the slam of his bedroom door echoed throughout the apartment.

X

She was truly glad that she didn't have to go to work today. Anzu was not in the mood to deal with Seto Kaiba's attitude today, and she was looking forward to spending some quality time with Atem. Unfortunately, the Game King had other plans.

He was needed at the Game Shop by Sugoroku to help move some boxes. Atem had said that he would have lied and said that he couldn't today, but Sugoroku was willing to pay him, and he was going to get to see Yuugi, the one person who he never opposed visiting.

Although it upset Anzu that she couldn't spend her day off with her husband, she understood. Yuugi and he had a bond that she would not dare get between, and although she got good pay as a receptionist at KaibaCorp, they could use the extra money. So she let him go and prepared for another day by herself.

She wondered what she would do today. Obviously she couldn't see Yuugi, since he would be busy helping Sugoroku and Atem. After the party at Kaiba's mansion, Shizuka came for a surprise visit at Jounouchi's place, so she couldn't possibly call him and interrupt his time with his sister. Honda and his family left last night to go see some relatives in other parts of Japan.

She remembered Ryou, but she couldn't go over there, could she? After what happened with her and Bakura last night, he probably didn't want to see her. But she couldn't really go anywhere else, unless she wanted to spend all day sitting around by herself at home. Maybe if she went to Ryou's place, she would luck out and Bakura wouldn't be there. And even if he were to be there, he would probably ignore her anyway, or she would ignore him.

Thoughts of last night immediately flooded her mind, and she could feel the heat radiating from her cheeks. Why had she even allowed that jerk to hug her?! And for so long?!

"_But to say that I regretted it… to say that I didn't enjoy him being so close to me… would be a lie." _ She thought to herself shamefully. She knew full well how contradictory she was being, and that thought angered her even more. Just why did Bakura have to be so confusing?! One minute he acted like he cared about her, and the next he killed any thought of them even being friends! It was like he didn't know what he wanted.

Every emotion that she and he both felt that night seemed so real. Every word, every movement, it was all real.

She chuckled to herself. _"And all this time… I thought I was living in my own perfect fantasy world, with Atem as my Prince Charming and this apartment as our castle."_

Perhaps seeing Bakura wouldn't be such a bad thing. She needed to clear a few things up with him anyway. If she chose to go, she would clarify a few things, and the two of them could move on with their lives and pretend it never happened. That may not be what she wanted, but it was what they both needed. Or so she thought, anyway. Who was she to judge what was best for Bakura?

"_That's what I'll do," _she decided, _"I'll go to Ryou's just to hang out, and if it just so happens to be brought up, that's when I'll talk to Bakura and clear this whole mess up." _ She knew that she would never forget about this experience unless her questions were answered, and this was the best way to get those answers.

X

"Ah, hey Anzu! Sorry, I was in the kitchen and I didn't hear the doorbell." Ryou said as he side-stepped to let her inside.

Anzu smiled cheerily as she shrugged off her oversized winter coat. "Oh no, it's okay. Um, is there anywhere in particular I can put this, or…" she trailed, lifting up her coat.

"Not really, just throw it wherever you want." Ryou replied somewhat dismissively. Shrugging, Anzu gently laid it on top of the couch.

Ryou stopped and turned around from his walk to the kitchen. "Did you want anything to drink? I've got tea, hot chocolate, or soda."

"Oh, no thank you. I had something to drink before I got here." Anzu told him. He nodded and grabbed a soda for himself before sitting on the loveseat across from her.

"So, just out of curiosity, why did you come here? I mean, it's not that you're not welcome here, it's just that you usually come with everyone else…" he asked casually.

Anzu bit her lip. "Well, I have a couple reasons. I was off of work today, so I was going to spend the day with Atem. But he had to go help Yuugi and his grandfather. Shizuka came to visit Jounouchi, and I didn't want to interrupt. Otogi's in America and Honda's on a family trip. Not to mention that I haven't gotten the chance to talk to you in a while, so I was really looking forward to seeing you. Besides, it's not often that we get to talk like this without the other boys here." She told him, blushing a bit at her last two statements. She really hoped Ryou wouldn't get the wrong idea, but it was the truth. She had never been in Ryou's apartment alone, let alone spending the day with just him.

His expression was blank, as if he were confused. But then he offered a warm, yet knowing smile. "I see. Well, just know that in the future, you're welcome to come here alone any time you want. You're right when you say we don't get opportunities like this very often. I mean, nothing against Honda and Jounouchi, but when they aren't around things are… quieter. And it's not the bad kind of quiet either." He admitted sheepishly.

Anzu let out a small laugh, but then remembered what she came here for. She wasn't really intending to ask this question, but... "Hey… just out of curiosity… where's Bakura? I heard that he was staying at your place."

She saw Ryou's eyes widen. Had she asked the wrong question? "Ah, he's still sleeping. He had a rough night last night, so don't try to wake him up. Bakura's not very pleasant in the morning. Let him get up on his own."

Anzu grinned. So Bakura wasn't a morning person? She smiled; even he had quirks. She found it rather interesting, as most boys were not at all fond of mornings, with Ryou and Yuugi being the exceptions. She never would have thought that Bakura would have that same trait that other teenage boys did. For a boy of 19, he was quite mature for his age, despite his constant teasing.

She focused on Ryou once more when she saw him take in a breath to speak. "Hey, Anzu… on the night of the party… did Bakura come to your apartment?"

Anzu's breath hitched in her throat. Was Ryou worried that Bakura had done something to her? Well, she wasn't surprised, but even so… "U-Um… yeah, he did."

Ryou looked like he had been physically wounded by her response. So he had been worried. "As I expected. He didn't hurt you, did he?"

She shook her head. "No, not at all. He did quite the opposite, actually." She muttered, looking away from him with flushed cheeks. Luckily Ryou had not noticed her second sentence.

He exhaled a sigh of relief. "Good. I was just worried, that's all." He said, but then his face took on a worried expression, his eyes shining with concern. "In fact, now that I think about it, I've been worried a lot about Bakura lately. It's been two days since he's eaten anything, and he spends a lot more time in his room now. He's more cross with me than usual. Every time I try to talk to him he shuts me out. I just don't know what to do for him anymore…"

Anzu looked down, her bangs shadowing her eyes. Could his strange behavior be because of what happened between them? Could she be the cause of this sudden depression he was enduring? She never would have thought that Bakura would suffer so much because of something so insignificant, at least, to him anyway.

She wondered if the hug had anything to do with it, but then realized that an apology may not have been enough. What she had said was hurtful; it was the equivalent of telling someone they should just go die. And regardless of what a person has done, she would never tell anyone that. No one deserved that, not even Bakura. She hadn't even been thinking clearly the night she said it. After the dance she constantly tried to reassure herself that what she said couldn't have possibly hurt Bakura, because he had no feelings, or so she thought. But after he broke into her apartment and subtly demanded an apology, then intimately hugged her, she began to think otherwise.

"I see… I wish there was something I could do for him…" she replied awkwardly. She had never been very good at offering her sympathy, even for her friends.

However, before either of them could say anything more, footsteps could be heard from the stairs. Within an instant a very tired Bakura made his way into the living room. His hair was mussed and much more unruly than usual. Dark circles lined his chocolate brown eyes. His clothes were rumpled, and his oversized shirt hung off of his shoulders, exposing them.

"Ryou, do we have company?" he asked lazily, rubbing at his eyes. Apparently, he had not taken any notice to Anzu's presence.

Also, apparently Ryou had been quite shocked to see Bakura come downstairs in the presence of company. Normally Bakura would ignore any and all people who came to visit. But today, he came downstairs, and bothered to ask.

"Y-Yeah… we do, actually. Anzu's here, and she was hoping to spend the day with us." He explained, his voice a bit shaken from disbelief.

Bakura's eyes widened as they drifted over to Anzu's form sitting on the couch. She smiled and gave a small wave.

"Good morning, Bakura. I see you're awake now."

He snorted. "Great observation, Mazaki. I'm going back upstairs." He began to trudge back upstairs, but Ryou's hand on his wrist stopped him.

"Come on Bakura, don't be so rude. You can't just go back to sleep."

Bakura rolled his eyes. "I didn't mean to go back to bed, I meant to go change into clothes that aren't pajamas."

Ryou nodded and let go of his wrist. "You'd better come back down here."

"Yeah, yeah."

Anzu chuckled. "Sounds like he's great to live with."

Ryou laughed sheepishly. "He's not that bad. He's actually fun to talk to."

"That must be rare, then." She joked, but she was sure to keep her voice down for fear of him hearing her.

Ryou chuckled, and not a mere 30 seconds later did Bakura come down the stairs once more. Anzu couldn't help but notice that this time, he looked much neater than he did before. He was dressed in a pair of black boot-cut jeans and a form-fitting gray T-shirt. It was plain, but for some reason, he managed to pull it off quite well.

He took a seat across from her beside Ryou. "Did you get breakfast made?"

"No, actually. In case you haven't noticed, it's 12. It's time for lunch now."

Bakura looked unfazed. "So did you get lunch made?"

"Is food all that's on your mind?"

"It occupies a large portion of it."

Ryou glared at him. "Actually, I was thinking we could go out for lunch together, just the 3 of us. That is, if you're not opposed to spending time with Anzu and I."

Bakura blinked and leaned back against the couch. "I don't care. Just so long as I get food."

Ryou was about to reply saying that that was not what it was about, but Bakura had already gotten up to grab his jacket.

X

To say that Anzu was surprised would be an understatement. She was utterly _flabbergasted _that Bakura could eat so much and still have such a thin figure. He had ordered quite a bit, and she wondered if his metabolism was high enough for him to just burn all of those extra calories off. But the good news was that he was eating again, and that was all she cared about. He must be starving since he had refused to eat for all that time, so neither Anzu nor Ryou chose to question him about what food he ordered and how much of it.

Once he had finished, he grabbed the bill and headed to the cashier. "I'll pay." Neither of them questioned him, since he seemed firm on his decision. Not to mention that his odd behavior had sent both of them into a state of confusion and shock.

As he left to go pay for their meal, Anzu couldn't help but notice Ryou's stern expression. She had never seen him look so… well, strong before, and it puzzled her. Ryou usually had a soft or somber expression on his face, but in this moment, he looked rather determined. Little did she know that he was shaking from nervousness on the inside. What he was about to ask could very well change her life, and he still wasn't even sure if she was the right person to go to for his proposal.

He looked up at her, his eyes narrowed and his lips drawn into a firm and decisive line. "Anzu, I have a favor to ask of you."

**A/N: And this is where I'll leave you for chapter 3. Please let me know if there are any mistakes. It's 2 am over here and I'm pretty tired, so I could have easily messed up. **

**Oh, and I apologize for the really long author's note at the beginning. I tend to get carried away in my responses to reviews. '^_^**

**Review please! Getting reviews always makes me happy. **

**Stay tuned for chapter 4!**

**~MN**


	4. Alone

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm back with chapter 4! Thank you to all who have reviewed, followed, and favorited so far. **

**Enjoy! **

**X**

"Anzu, I have a favor to ask of you."

She stiffened and turned to face him. "A favor? Sure, what is it?"

When she saw Ryou begin to fidget and bite his lip, she realized that this favor might not be all that simple.

"Do you think you can talk to Bakura for me?" he blurted suddenly, and afterwards his expression suggested that he had said something horrid.

Anzu raised a smooth brow. In her mind, talking to someone wasn't really worth getting worked up over. But then again, this was Bakura. He was unpredictable, so talking to him did prove to be more of a challenge. "Talk to him? U-Um, I guess so, but what for?"

Ryou took a breath to calm himself down. "I know it doesn't seem like a lot, but it really is important, to him and to me. Like I said earlier, Bakura seems kind of depressed lately, but it's not just that. He's very… contemplative, as of late. He thinks more than he does anything else. And he won't tell me what it is he thinks about. I think you might be able to get through to him."

She let out a skeptical laugh. "Me? Ryou, if you can't get through to him, I don't think anybody can."

He looked down, those dark brown eyes glistening with worry. "That may be true. But, I have a hunch that if you talk to him, he'll open up to you. I can't explain it; I just feel like he would tell you. And also, I feel like if he talks to someone he might feel better."

Anzu then averted her gaze to the ground as well, playing with her hands. "I guess I can do that… but why would he open up to me, of all people? He hates me more than the others. And what do I do if I can't get him to tell me?"

Ryou shook his head, pale white locks swishing back and forth in disapproval of her skeptic behavior. "Like I said, I can't explain it. I just think he'll tell you. And he doesn't hate you. Actually, I think he's fonder of you than he is of the others." When he saw Anzu's eyes shift down to her lap indecisively, he spoke up again. "You don't have to if you don't want to; I know that you and he are probably not on good terms."

Anzu looked up and smiled. "Oh no, it's okay. I don't mind talking to him. It's just that… I'm not all that sure I can get through to him. But I don't mind trying, if that's what you want."

Ryou's whole demeanor seemed to change. "Really Anzu?! You will?"

She giggled and nodded. "Mmhm, I'll give it a try." She couldn't quite understand why he was so relieved, and why he had come to her of all people. He must have been seriously concerned about Bakura to ask someone for help.

"Thanks, this means a lot to me, and I'm sure that Bakura will be grateful too if he tells you." he said, flashing her one of his signature charming smiles that made most of the girls of Domino High squeal and melt. Perhaps what he was asking was not as life-changing as he at first thought.

Luckily, they managed to end the conversation just in time, for not a second later did Bakura appear beside the table, staring at them with a languid yet inquisitive gaze.

"What were you two talking about?" he asked accusingly, but then his lips drew into a smirk. "Ryou, you looked pretty desperate. You weren't asking of anything shameful, were you?"

Unfortunately, it was only Ryou who had noticed the inappropriate comment, and his cheeks took on a bright shade of vermillion. "No! _That _is not what I asked her!"

Bakura laughed coolly before folding his arms over his chest. "Oh? Then surely you won't mind telling me."

Ryou casted a glance at Anzu before returning his attention to Bakura. "Sorry, but it's none of your business. Besides, you wouldn't care anyway, even if I did tell you."

Bakura opened his mouth to pursue the issue further, but then decided against it. Whatever Ryou chose to talk to Anzu about was none of his concern. However, he had a nagging feeling within him that they had been talking about him, and there was nothing he hated more than when people talked about him behind his back.

He walked over to the door. "Whatever. Let's go, I presume we're going to go drop Anzu off, right?"

Ryou looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "What gave you that idea? She said she wanted to spend the _day _with us."

He snorted, obviously not seeming very fond of the idea. At the moment, his feelings toward the brunette were unclear, and the last thing he needed was to spend more time with her. He had already decided against pursuing her, and the day after he decides this, she reenters his life, making him forget any and all of what he had agreed to.

"Fine, fine." He muttered, waving a dismissive hand. "Then what do _you _want to do, Mazaki? Today just seems to be all about you."

Anzu, who had heard his conversation with Ryou, narrowed her eyes. "No no, by all means, why don't _you _decide what we do? You seem like you want the attention on yourself. And who said that this was all about me? All I did was ask to hang out with Ryou!"

"Oh no, I _insist. _You are the lady, after all." He grinned, and she, disgusted, turned her head away to escape his taunting expression.

"Fine. Really, it should be Ryou deciding, not me. But I was hoping that we could watch some movies or something like that."

Ryou ceased playing with the wrapper of his straw and nodded, having seemingly been broken from a deep reverie. "That sounds like a great idea. But Anzu, are you okay with horror movies? Those are the only kind Bakura will watch."

Truthfully, Anzu had never been a fan of horror movies. But she was willing to watch them with her friends if that was what they wanted. Well, _Ryou, _anyway. She wasn't quite certain what to call Bakura. "Yeah, I don't mind them." She rose to her feet. "Ready to go, then?"

"Yeah," Ryou replied, mirroring her action, "let's go."

X

His driving was perfect.

And much to her disbelief, it was not Ryou that had driven them. She had yet to see how he drove, but Bakura did it like he had for all his life. His only problem was that under the "right" circumstances, he drove exceedingly fast, and many times she had to hold down her lunch from the sharp turns he took. But other than that, he drove smoothly, and his eyes were always on the road.

"I still can't believe you can drive…" Anzu muttered as they walked through Ryou's apartment door.

Bakura smirked as he tossed his jacket on the couch. "Why is it so hard to believe?"

Anzu looked at him flatly, scolding him with her eyes for even asking such a question. "Oh, I don't know, maybe because you're a 3,000 year old spirit from ancient Egypt, and you should have no concept of the way cars work."

He laughed, completely aware of why she was so baffled. Ryou couldn't believe that he had managed to adapt to the modern world so well, and often times when he tried to explain things Bakura would decline because he already knew how to use it. He mainly learned from observing Ryou. When they shared a body, he didn't need most modern contraptions. But now that he was his own person in his own body, it was different. He needed to possess a knowledge of all of today's technology, and who better to teach him than his host? "I won't take all the credit; Ryou taught me most of what I know. But believe it or not Mazaki, I've existed in this world long enough to know of all of the modern technology and how it works."

Anzu rolled her eyes. Bakura seemed to have a witty response for everything, and it was starting to irritate her that he was indeed quite smart, and could counter her every argument with something better.

And his final statement was the icing on the cake. "What, Mazaki? You couldn't be jealous of me, could you? If I'm not mistaken, you don't have your license yet."

She clenched her fists at her sides as a red blush of anger spread across her cheeks like fire. "O-Of course not! Like I would ever be jealous of someone like you."

Before Bakura could unknowingly respond with something that could potentially evoke Anzu's fury like it had on the night of the party, Ryou cut him off. "Anyway, why don't we go to my room? There we can pick out a movie."

Anzu took a deep breath and nodded. "Right…" Her mission was to help Bakura, not the opposite. Although right now it seemed rather difficult to do that.

When she walked into Ryou's room, she wasn't surprised to find that it was so clean. Ryou had always come off as that kind of person to her. But it was large and spacious, so when it got messy, cleaning it was probably a challenge.

The walls were a faded beige color, and there were paintings on the walls. His dresser sat across from his bed, with a TV on top as well as what looked to be a family photo.

She walked over to it, the young girl in the photo seeming to capture her eyes. "Ryou, who is this girl?" She didn't know why she had asked such a question, it was his personal life after all, but something about the girl in the photo intrigued her.

Ryou turned to answer, but Bakura answered for him. "Nobody you need to worry about."

Anzu took in a breath to ask Bakura how he knew the girl, but then saw the look in his eyes. They were glaring at her with such intensity, as if warning her not to ask. When she saw him shake his head, that was when she realized why, and dropped the subject entirely.

"Did you ask something Anzu?" Ryou questioned, holding a movie in his hand.

"Nope." Anzu replied nonchalantly, averting her eyes from the large pair of green ones of the little girl in the photo.

He shrugged. "That's strange; I must be hearing things then. What do you like better Anzu? Slasher movies or paranormal movies?"

She internally chuckled. "I prefer paranormal movies, if that's okay."

"Ah, got it. Sorry Bakura, there isn't going to be as much blood in this movie." He said as he bent down to choose a different movie.

Bakura rolled his eyes as Ryou pulled out another selection. "Alright, does _Sinister _sound okay then?"

"I don't know Ryou, I don't think she can handle that movie. Why don't we get a comedy instead?" Bakura answered.

Anzu turned to face him, determination written on her face. "I _can _handle it, Bakura." She turned and faced Ryou, smiling sweetly. "Yes Ryou, that sounds fine."

Ryou seemed suspicious, considering that she was the only girl present, but nonetheless walked to the door. "Okay, but if it's too much, we can do something else."

X

It appeared that fate chose not to take mercy on Anzu on this night.

As fate so decided, Anzu could _not _handle the movie as well as she thought she could.

Multiple times, she had squealed and shielded her eyes from the TV screen. For the majority of the movie, she had herself curled up into a tight ball, her fingernails digging into the fabric of her jeans.

"Wow, it's a lot later than I thought it was." Anzu looked up to see Ryou peeking out the window, and she could see that it was clearly dark outside.

"It's dark already?! Atem is probably home now; I have to go!" she cried as she jumped to her feet, frantically searching for her shoes.

"Ah, you're right. You wouldn't want to keep him waiting. I think your shoes are over here." Ryou replied, pointing to a pair beside the door.

"Yeah, these are mine. Oh, and thanks for lunch and the movie Ryou, I had a lot of fun." she replied as she slid on her shoes.

Ryou scratched the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. "Ah, it really isn't me you should be thanking for lunch. Bakura was the one who drove us and paid for it, remember?"

Before she could leave to go thank him, Ryou stopped her again. He bent down to whisper in her ear. "Now is your chance."

She looked back at him and gave him a confident smirk. "Got it."

X

"Thank you for everything you did today, Bakura. I really appreciate it." Anzu said as she sat down next to him.

He refused to meet her eyes, instead choosing to look down at his lap. "Don't thank me, Mazaki. It's nothing."

She smiled, but before she could speak she found that she was _nervous. _Very nervous. She had never felt this anxious around Bakura before, and she wondered why. But nonetheless she pushed on. She agreed to do Ryou a favor, so she had to try her best to get the information that he needed.

"You know… ever since you came to my apartment… you seem to be acting different." she began. She was unsure of how to word it properly, but Bakura didn't seem to take notice of her word choice.

"Different how?" he asked.

"Well," she said, biting her lip to calm her heart, "you haven't looked at me since we went out for lunch. Whenever I looked at you, you weren't looking at my eyes."

"Since when do I ever?" he asked in response. He spoke so quickly, almost as if he was just as nervous as she was, but she highly doubted that.

"When we danced at Kaiba's party, and when you came to my apartment… you looked me directly in the eyes." she answered.

His gaze was still aimed at his lap. "Even if I did do what you're claiming… what's it matter?"

She silently inhaled through her nose, being sure not to let him hear her ragged breathing. "Well, it's not just that. You've been… nicer, to me and to Ryou. It's almost like when we danced together… you've been behaving like you were then. And yet… afterward at my apartment, you were different. You were hostile, and I just can't understand why. Ryou says you've been upset; that you've spent all your time thinking. Why? Why are you like this? Ryou's so worried about you, and… I am too. It's almost like every time either one of us try to get close to you, you-"

"Shut up." he snapped, interrupting her explanation. She blinked and looked up at him, only to find that his eyes were shadowed by his moon-colored hair.

"I don't need you to lecture me. I'm well aware of what I am. And, tell Ryou there's no need to worry. I'm fine."

She shook her head. "You're not. I know it has something to do with me. I want to clear things up between us. I apologized to you, and I'll do it again if I have to. Just… tell me what I did wrong. Tell me what I did to make you behave this way."

Silence grew between them for a few moments before Bakura finally stood up. "It's none of your business. My "strange behavior" has nothing to do with you, if that's what you're wondering. There is nothing for us to "clear up". Everything has already been decided. So do yourself a favor and run back home to your husband. After all, I'm sure he wouldn't like it if he found out you spent all day with me."

She rose to her feet as well. "But Bakura, I-"

"No buts. Anzu, must I be the one to remind you that you're married? And also a legal adult? This isn't high school; you can't just go around hanging out with anyone you please and claim "I'm just trying to help you". You have a job, a life to get back to. Stop taking time out of your life to give me special treatment. I don't need it; I'm not a depressed teenager. I'm an adult as well. If you want to help me, then the best thing you can do is leave me be."

But instead of being infuriated like she normally would be, or storming away with anger, she was sullen. Her eyes were gazing at Bakura with what she could only call pity. Did she pity him? Well of course, she always had. And as she stood here in Ryou's living room, in front of the white-haired thief, she realized that he never wanted to be pitied or saved.

He just wanted to be alone.

And that thought killed her.

"Bakura," she whispered quietly, her voice hoarse, "please don't shut me out. Let me help you."

He suddenly whipped around to face her, his eyes cold and intense with a blazing fury. "I don't need your help. Don't try to pretend that you care. Things were fine before you decided to walk into my life and make it a mess. I don't need you, and I don't need your kindness. If you want to continue to live in a little fantasy world where everyone is happy, then run back to your friends; I'm certain they're missing you. They need you much more than I do."

She felt like the air had been violently sucked out of her lungs. Each word quite literally _hurt _her, like he had taken a knife and jabbed it into her chest. Her eyes went wide before she looked down, brown bangs sweeping over her azure eyes. She bit her lip to prevent tears from falling, but failed, and soon enough she couldn't stop herself from sobbing.

"Fine then. I didn't realize I was such an inconvenience. If that's what you want, then I will leave. I should have never helped you; you despicable jerk! If you want to lay around and sulk for the rest of your life, then do it! I'll be out of your way, _living my life!" _

As she stormed out of Ryou's apartment, she casted him one final glance before stepping into the frigid night, the door loudly slamming behind her.

At the sound of the door slamming, Ryou came back into the living room, still in a cheery mood despite the tense atmosphere that he had not taken notice to. "Hey Bakura! Did Anzu leave?"

"Yeah, and she probably won't be coming back." he replied bitterly as he stormed upstairs.

That was the last Ryou saw of Bakura that night.

_To Be Continued_

**A/N: This is where I leave you for chapter 4. I hope you have all enjoyed so far, and don't forget to review!**

**~MN**


	5. The Mind of a Woman

**A/N: I have returned from the darkest depths of the Shadow Realm to bring you chapter 5. Anyone excited?! No? Okay, well, here it is anyway. **

**Warning: This chapter contains copious amounts of Revolutionshipping. If you dislike this pairing and cannot handle it, then do not read.**

**I hope you enjoy! :D**

**X**

As much as he hated to admit it, the King of Games was _bored._

He had spent a large majority of his time in present day Domino City playing Duel Monsters, so shuffling cards came as easily to him as breathing. Truthfully, Atem couldn't explain why he was here, shuffling his deck for no reason other than to shuffle it… perhaps it was out of boredom? He didn't really have anyone to duel unless it was for fun. Sure, he would duel Yuugi from time to time for that reason, but he hadn't had a serious duel in quite a while. He knew that one person, that person being Seto Kaiba, still longed to settle the score between them once and for all. The only thing they would have to fight for when they finally faced each other again was the title of the King of Games. The fate of the world wouldn't be on the line. Just one final duel to put their bitter rivalry to rest was all it took.

However, Kaiba was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that there were two "Yuugi's", and that his past life was _related _to his rival. Not to mention that one of his employees was _married _to said rival, which only fueled his frustration. Because of this, he and Mokuba went back to America to make "improvements" to the KaibaLand they opened there, which explained Anzu's sudden time off. He seriously doubted that was the reason he left, but he didn't question him and let him go. He would be back soon, after all. He never left KaibaCorp unattended for too long.

It was probably because he never got to truly experience the outside world beyond dueling. He knew that there were many other hobbies people had, but he had never considered them before. He had always been too busy. Sure, marrying Anzu had been one of the happiest moments of his life, and he didn't regret it, not one bit. But even after marriage he was still busy, so he never got the opportunity to explore possible hobbies that he may want to try.

Since they had been married, Anzu had exposed him to different aspects of this world. She took him to see many movies in theaters, and he was surprised to find that he liked them. She also convinced him to eat popcorn, and he didn't regret that either. She brought him out shopping with her, and soon discovered that shopping with a woman was not as enjoyable as he at first thought. However, there were many interesting things for him to look at in these shops, things that she bought for him if he truly wanted them.

Anzu had definitely exposed him to a new world… but even now, he still felt out of place. Anzu and Yuugi had been the only ones to ever give him a sense of belonging. But now that he was married and living the life he never got the chance to have as Pharaoh… what was his purpose?

Perhaps he didn't _need _a purpose. He was so used to being obligated or being responsible for something that not having any real major responsibilities was a strange feeling. Having this much luxury and free time felt rather strange to him, and he wasn't quite sure that he liked it. Sure, he did have some things to do, even now. He worked at the Game Shop from time to time with Yuugi and Suguroku, and he entered local dueling tournaments to make money. The only purpose he ever recognized was keeping Anzu safe and happy… and keeping any future children they would have in the same state.

"_So long as I have Anzu and the others… I'm happy. I'm living the life I was meant to… so I have no reason to complain." _He told himself. If that was all he could do, then so be it.

However, there was one thing still bothering him.

He had arrived at the apartment at around 5:00 and was surprised to find that Anzu was not home. She hadn't even called him or Yuugi to say where she had ran off to. He chose not to worry, deciding that she would call him when she had the time and that she was probably safe. Anzu was smart, and not the type of girl to blindly get herself into trouble… now, anyway. She had definitely changed since high school, and he was proud of her and glad to see the new strength she had obtained.

That aside, it was now 9:00, and she was still not here. He was beginning to get worried now, if he wasn't before. Anzu was never out at this time unless she was working late at KaibaCorp. Not to mention that the chance of her being with one of the others was slim to none, considering what they were all doing now.

He picked up his phone in an attempt to call her, but was stopped by an abrupt and loud banging on his door. He dropped his phone onto the couch and stared curiously at the door. It could be Anzu, but she never knocked in such an obnoxious manner.

With the thought that it may not be Anzu on the other side of the door, Atem cautiously walked over to it, slowly reaching for the handle. His body was tense, ready to fight if necessary. But a small voice was telling him that that wouldn't be necessary.

And indeed, that small voice was correct.

Standing on the other side of the door was his indeed his wife.

However, she looked… terrible, for lack of a better word. Her hair was mussed and her clothes were badly disheveled. The rims of her eyes were red and still brimming with tears. Her eyeliner and mascara that she had applied earlier had smeared, resulting in looking like she had cried black, thick tears.

She rubbed at her nose, realizing that he wasn't expecting her to show up at the door looking like this. "I'm s-sorry I didn't call you… I… my phone, I didn't even think-"

She was interrupted when she felt his arms grab her and pull her against him. Her words died within her throat, anything that she had to say seemingly vanishing. She dropped everything that was in her arms, allowing them to fall limply at her sides.

"Don't worry about that." He said, shaking his head. There would be time for explanations later. All that mattered now was calming her down. "Come inside."

He let her grab her things before she walked inside, and Atem shut the door and locked it for the night once she was inside and sitting on the couch.

He took a spot next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, lightly tracing small circles on her bare shoulders. "Tell me what happened. Why are you crying, and why are your clothes a mess?"

Anzu sniffled. She never liked making Atem worry. "I-It's nothing… I just tripped on the way home and it hurt pretty bad…"

He sighed, clearly irritated. He could not stand it when she attempted to lie to him. "Anzu, that was the worst lie I have ever heard. Tell me the truth."

She winced, a bit offended at the obvious insult. She was sincerely hoping not to say anything, hoping she could cover it up somehow. The last thing she wanted was Atem storming out of the apartment and hunting down Bakura in a fit of rage. He wasn't above doing it if he had to. But what could she say?

She truly had no reason to cry… she was married, had a job, a home, and was making money. What reason did she have to be upset? She wasn't a high school girl anymore…

Well, the answer was obvious, but something like that should be insignificant, considering that she was an adult now. But she couldn't treat her predicament with Bakura as "insignificant"… at least, not anymore.

So is that what she tells Atem? Her husband, who she was to always swear to tell the truth to?

Of course not.

She swallowed thickly, her breath coming out in uneven gasps. "I-I went out with Mai today… she called me a little while after you left. While I was with her I got a call from my parents… and I found out that they wouldn't be able to come home for Christmas. I'm sorry… but I was looking forward to them coming so they could meet you… I wanted to tell them about my new job, about how now I'm one step closer to accomplishing my dream… but now..!"

When she saw the look in his eyes, that was when she knew she had him. Perhaps he was not as good at detecting lies as she thought.

Without another thought or word, he wrapped his arms around her trembling form and let her cry into his chest. He was irritated with himself for being even remotely angry with her… Anzu's parents meant a lot to her, and he knew that something like this would devastate her. He had no right to be so ignorant of her feelings.

He believed he was holding the broken girl whose parents could not come home for the holidays. She detested lying, especially to her husband, the man she was supposed to be honest with no matter what the circumstances. But she could not risk starting another fight between Atem and Bakura.

"_I've already caused both of them too much pain… I don't want either of them to hurt anymore."_

And so she let out all of her tears, washing out the pain that Bakura's harsh words and actions had caused her. Her mind had completely blocked her embrace with the former King of Thieves. She thought that by spending the day with the two boys, she could clear things up with Bakura and put an end to all of it. She could apologize and forgive, and so could he. Then they would never have to look each other's way ever again.

"_So then why am I here, crying like a baby over another man? His words shouldn't… I shouldn't…" _Her mind soon became unable to process coherent thoughts. As a result she found herself burying her face deeper into Atem's chest, clutching onto his shoulders so tightly, like if she ever did let him go she would fall to her untimely death. Her hands gripped the fabric of his shirt hard enough to cause it to wrinkle.

He did not mind in the least. He smoothed her hair and tucked her head under his chin. No words were needed, just actions. Those always mattered the most anyway, to both he and Anzu. Besides, he wasn't good at using words to comfort others. He never had been.

Anzu soon began to calm down, her river of tears eventually fading into occasional sobs. When she was finally calm, she looked up at Atem with misty eyes, her mind slowly beginning to function properly once more. Or so she believed anyway… was her mind in the right state? She didn't know, and she didn't care at this point.

"_Atem is my husband… I love Atem. Bakura isn't my husband, and he'll never be anything like him…" _she thought confidently. With a new strength having been conjured, Anzu moved upward to where she was still within Atem's embrace, but was now eye level with him.

"Atem… you love me, right?" she asked, her voice breathy and weak.

He blinked in surprise at such a question. "Of course I do. Why do you ask?"

She did not answer with words. She gave her response by covering his mouth with her own in a deep kiss. He was quite shocked, as she had never really been the one to initiate kisses, rather preferring to receive them instead. She was behaving rather boldly, which wasn't unusual considering her personality. But it felt like she had a new confidence, and he was curious and wanted to indulge in it.

So he did just that.

He returned her kiss, one of his hands sliding up her back and into her hair. She put more force into the kiss when she felt his response, as if coaxing him to take control of it.

He didn't give it another thought as he soon got lost in her taste. However, as he became more dominant, Anzu was reminded of _him_.

She mentally slapped herself and gazed into Atem's eyes, focusing and trying her best to get lost in him and only him. As his lips slid down her neck, she lost any and all control she had over her wild imagination. Her mind wandered to its darkest corners, and before she knew it, she had internally wondered what it would be like to kiss Bakura.

She imagined that it would feel similar to Atem's kiss; after all, Bakura came off as someone who would prefer to be dominant in a kiss, much like Atem. Only he wouldn't let her have control for too long. He would tease her; make her long for him to control her. His hold on her would be rough, yet his caresses would be gentle. She could feel them, those pale hands of his, slowly sliding up and down her back, lovingly massaging her neck and shoulders, telling her just how much he loved her as he gently bit her ear-

Only those hands that were doing such a thing at the moment were not Bakura's. They were Atem's.

Red flags rampantly waved within her mind, and she stopped, her mind falling out of its daze and back onto the ground. She separated from him, pulling out of his arms and returning to a sitting position on the couch.

"I-I'm so sorry, I-" she sputtered nervously. How could she explain herself to him?

But he merely chuckled, flashing her a dazzling smile that lifted his flushed cheeks. "Relax. We are married, right? Doing that… isn't really a bad thing."

She nodded, but the shame consuming her in this moment was overwhelming. She was so ashamed of herself… thinking of another man while kissing her husband…

Her cheeks felt as if they were being set aflame. Hot tears poured down her face, her hair sweeping over her like a curtain as she ducked her head.

"Anzu? What's wrong?" he asked worriedly, frantically shaking her shoulders in hopes of a response.

"N-Nothing…" she said, wiping away her tears. "I was crying because I'm happy. I can't ask for a better husband."

His smile returned, eyes glittering with contentment. He embraced her once more, and as she lay in his arms, her memories slowly began to resurface. Her imagination began to paint pictures of this very familiar image, but at this point, her mind was too exhausted to prevent it.

And so, without another word, she fell asleep in the comfortable arms of who she imagined to be Bakura.

X

At this point, Ryou was thoroughly convinced that the Spirit of the Millennium Ring was the most stubborn man on the planet.

"I can't believe you… you hurt her again, didn't you?"

Bakura rolled his eyes. Ryou was always like this; picking some sort of fight when it wasn't even his business. "What does it matter to you?"

Ryou narrowed his eyes, trying his best to get a point across to the seemingly oblivious ancient thief. "She's my friend, and I don't want to see her get hurt. Especially not by you."

He chuckled. "Get hurt? How can she, when her life is virtually perfect? How can someone like me hurt her? And even if that's the case, if I did hurt her, what makes you think I care?"

He was mildly surprised to see Ryou quickly stand up, chair violently sliding out from underneath him. "_No one's _life is perfect! Just because she's an adult now doesn't mean she doesn't have thoughts and feelings! You're right, she's married, so what you say shouldn't really affect her all that much. But Anzu viewed you as her friend, and you pushed her away without even realizing that she wanted to help you. I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand, but that _hurts. _When you get pushed away and yelled at by someone you care about, it _hurts."_

He slammed his hands down on the table, leaning forward, and in that moment it almost looked like Bakura was looking at his reflection. He had never seen Ryou look so furious before. "Can you imagine how that must have _felt _for someone like Anzu? Her friends mean the _world _to her, and you're treating her feelings like a joke!"

But Bakura refused to be yelled at by his own former host any longer. He rose to his feet as well, and they both knew just who had the clear physical advantage.

"What do friends mean to someone like me, Ryou? Give me the right answer, and I'll put this little incident with Mazaki aside."

Ryou swallowed thickly, but he did not refuse Bakura's challenge. If Bakura wanted to play this way, then he could too. He'd dealt with him for a long time, so hopefully he could play his cards right. "You're right. You've lived alone your whole life, so you've never experienced friendship. But face it: now that you're here in this world without a purpose, you _want _that acceptance and companionship. Yet you push people away because you're _scared. _You're _scared _that if you bother to make friends, they're going to get taken away again, like they did 3,000 years ago. The thing you fear the most… is _loneliness. _That's why… if you were to have friends… they would mean the world to you too, wouldn't they? Because you wouldn't be alone anymore."

The silence in the room was nearly suffocating.

Within a matter of seconds, Ryou found himself slammed against the counter, face-to-face with his utterly livid dark half. His eyes were burning chocolate brown, almost crimson. His hand was fisted in Ryou's shirt, lifting him up until he was at eye level with him.

He pressed Ryou further against the hard edge of the counter. "Don't you _dare _bring up Kul Elna! That has _nothing _to do with you, so I don't want to hear you _ever_ repeat it! Were you there the day my people were slaughtered? No? Then you have absolutely _no right _to tell me what I fear and what I don't, and what I endured in my life. Only _I _know that. And I know for certain that I lived alone because I _had to. Y_ou think I desperately searched for friends? I _desperately searched _for my _next meal! _You know _nothing, _so do yourself a favor and keep your nose out of my _life!"_

Ryou squirmed beneath him, attempting to escape his iron grip. He longed to protest, to say that that was exactly the reason he needed friends- because he had suffered for too long. He knew that he shouldn't care if the Spirit was suffering or not... but that stupid voice in his heart was telling him that no one deserved that sort of sadness.

But what truly held him back was that he could practically feel the Spirit trembling with anger. He worried that if he said anything more, his temper would snap and he would hit him, or even worse. He wasn't quite sure if he could take him in a fight, and he didn't want to find out.

He ducked his head. "I-I understand. I'm sorry; I never meant to make any assumptions or anything like that."

The Spirit snorted and released him. "You're pathetic."

Ryou ignored the statement and smoothed out his wrinkled shirt. "You should go talk to her. It would be nice if you would apologize, but I'm not expecting you to."

Bakura folded his arms over his chest. "She doesn't need an apology from me. She's got the Pharaoh as her source of comfort… the next time she sees me, she probably won't even remember what happened. Besides, how many times do we need to apologize to each other? She's the one who keeps picking fights."

"She's trying to _help_." Ryou corrected. "And you're refusing her. That's what's causing the fights."

"So it's my fault?"

"Pretty much."

Tension hung in the air for a moment, a tension so thick you could slice it. But Bakura finally put an end to it with the uncrossing of his arms. "I suppose it can't be helped then, can it?"

Ryou lifted both brows in mild shock. "What are you talking about?"

Bakura 'hmphed' and walked out of the kitchen in search of his jacket. "I'm going to end it… all of the feelings that I have for her… I'm going to get rid of them."

Ryou chased after him, surprised by the fact that Bakura even admitted to having feelings for her. "By doing what exactly?"

Bakura stopped in front of the door. "Nothing you need to know."

With that, he stepped into the chilly night, leaving behind a baffled Ryou.

X

To say he was surprised he when he saw who answered the door would be an understatement.

Standing in the doorway before him was not Anzu, but instead Atem.

Although Bakura had not been prepared for this, he knew how to handle the Pharaoh. "Ah, _your majesty_. I wasn't expecting you to answer the door."

Atem narrowed his amethyst eyes dangerously. "What, pray tell, are you doing at my door at midnight?" He was exhausted; Bakura could clearly tell that, which made this all the more amusing.

He grinned. "Nothing of your concern, Mr. King. I have unfinished business with your woman, and so I need to see her."

"You aren't getting anywhere near Anzu. Go home."

Bakura pouted and placed a pale hand over his chest to signify that he was "offended". "Must you be so cold, Mr. King? How rude. As I said, I have something I need to clear up with Anzu. Let me do that, and I'll be out of that spiky hair of yours. Deal?"

Atem gritted his teeth. _"Go. Home. Now." _

Bakura chuckled, a mocking smile still pulling at his lips. "Let's face it Pharaoh, you cannot make me go home. For one thing, you're about 5'4", so taking me in a physical fight would be pointless. Secondly, what makes you think Anzu doesn't want me here?"

Atem snorted in disbelief. "Anzu wants nothing to do with you."

"Really?" he queried. "Then I guess that must explain why she held onto me so tightly at the dance a few nights ago…"

Atem raised an ebony brow incredulously. "You lie, thief. She danced with you because you asked. She probably pitied you."

"Perhaps," Bakura admitted, placing his hand on his hip, "but she wasn't complaining. In fact, I think she _enjoyed_ it." The amount of confidence Bakura had at the moment was almost sickening.

"Enjoyed _what?" _a voice huffed from within the apartment. Both Atem and Bakura turned around to see Anzu standing in the doorway, glaring intensely at both boys. Her hair was still a mess, only this time, she looked more tired than she did a blubbering mess.

She unleashed her wrath on Bakura first. "I didn't enjoy a single thing about that dance, so quit trying to convince yourself, you arrogant jerk! Secondly, it's midnight, so come back when people _aren't _trying to sleep! And lastly, why are you always picking a fight?! You're always fighting with me or Atem, and I'm sick of it! Stop it! Just stop hurting people!"

She then turned to Atem, her dangerous gaze not faltering or sparing any sort of mercy for her husband. "And _you! You _are the exact same as him! Every time he shows up, you're fighting as well! Why can't you ever be the adult?! He came here to see me, and you had to start something?! In case you were wondering, yes, he does have something he needs to clear up with me, but it can wait until tomorrow morning! _Go back to sleep! Both of you!" _And with that, the frustrated brunette stormed back into the apartment, grumbling under her breath about how the both of them were complete morons.

_To Be Continued_

**A/N: Truthfully, I had no intention of ending the chapter this way. I wanted to have another dramatic ending but when I typed it… this happened. This story was heading down a depressing path, so I wanted to add something a little more humorous and lighthearted at the end. **

**But don't worry, the drama will return once again. After all, it'd be boring if there was no drama.**

**Please review! It would be greatly appreciated!**

**~MN**


	6. Secret Admirer

**A/N: Oh look, another update! **

**I wanted to have Anzu and Bakura get together in this chapter, but I felt like that would just be too soon. **

**I apologize that this chapter is so short. :/ I had little inspiration for it. **

**Enjoy! ^_^**

**X**

"You're late, Mazaki. You've been making a habit out of that lately."

Anzu gave a confident smirk. "You seem to be just as cheerful as ever. Sorry about that, Mr. Kaiba. How was your trip to America?"

Kaiba snorted and ignored his smug employee before proceeding to his work on his laptop. "Shut your trap and keep it closed."

She chuckled and unlocked the door to her office. She had an advantage over most all other employees- not only was she married to the only person Kaiba enjoyed dueling, but she also had started helping Mokuba with his schoolwork. He had just entered the eighth grade and was having trouble with basic algebra. Although Kaiba was most likely smarter than she was he didn't have much time to help his brother. So she offered her help, and Mokuba's math grade has been slowly improving thanks to her help.

Her office was rather spacious- Anzu was surprised that Kaiba would be that nice and give her such a large work space. Her computer sat nicely on her rather large desk, which she was sure to keep organized. A neat stack of papers and the telephone sat on each side of the computer- and of course she had personalized it with permission from Kaiba. She had she and Yami's wedding photo, and a photo of her with her friends on the day they all graduated. It felt like a decade ago, but it had happened only a mere year before. She also kept snacks in her bottom drawer for when it was a slow day and she got hungry. Kaiba would always get on her case about that, but never did anything about it.

However, instead of the desk's usual appearance, there was a bouquet of roses delicately sitting on her keyboard. There was a card attached to it, and she saw that her name was written on the front.

"Mr. Kaiba, did someone come in today with a package for me?" Anzu called from her office, raising a chestnut colored brow.

She could hear Kaiba's irritated sigh from her office. "First of all, you know me, so you can stop saying "Mr. Kaiba". Secondly, yes. Early this morning before you arrived in a package came for you. Why?"

"Nothing…" Anzu answered as she curiously examined them. They were multiple colors- red, white, even pink. She smiled softly, wondering if perhaps she had a secret admirer. It wouldn't really matter, but it was nice to know that someone liked her enough to randomly send roses to her. She didn't receive random acts of kindness like that often. She looked at the card again to see if she could find the name of the person who sent it.

"_Consider this a little gift. You've been upset, have you not? Thought these might cheer you up. _

_I won't give you my name, but eventually I think you'll be able to figure out who I am. _

_Smile more. I like seeing you smile."_

Anzu read over the card once more before heat crept up her neck and her cheeks. Whoever this person was certainly had a way with words. They seemed rather mysterious; she wondered why this stranger refused to give her his name.

On the card they said that she would be able to figure out who they are. Was it someone she knew? That couldn't be it; most people she knew were aware that she was married, so what would possess one of them to send her a bouquet of flowers? It had to be someone she wasn't very familiar with.

Perhaps Kaiba knew. "Mr. Kai- I mean, Kaiba, do you know who sent me these?" Anzu called.

"He didn't give me a name, but I know it was definitely a man that sent them. That's what the guard that let him in said anyway." He yelled back.

She sighed exasperatedly. If it was a random stranger, then she could never figure out who he was! It could be anyone in Domino City!

"_Wait a minute," _she said to herself, _"I don't need to figure it out. Even if I did learn who it was, it wouldn't matter, unless it's Yami sending these. I would figure that he would write something more meaningful, but maybe he's just messing around with me. That's probably what it is."_

Regardless of who sent the flowers, she was grateful anyway. With that thought in mind, she proceeded to her work for the day in hopes that it would be slow.

X

Their walk home was surprisingly awkward, compared to their usual warm chatter or comforting silence. So far it had just been small talk.

"How was your day?" he had asked.

"Fine, I suppose." she answered boredly.

"Kaiba being a jerk to you again?" There he went again, always finding a way to lighten the mood.

She played along, just like she always did. "When is he not?"

Atem chuckled as his wife lovingly clung to his arm. She had been strangely affectionate since she left the building with him, and he wondered why. He didn't mind it in the least, but Anzu was not usually a very clingy or affectionate person. She would occasionally hug him from time to time, and give him a few kisses here and there. But she was never very touchy-feely or clingy. He wondered if something happened.

"Anzu, are you okay? You're not usually this… well… clingy."

She giggled, her smile wide and her eyes bright. "Sorry, you just made me really happy with what you did for me today."

He smiled charmingly, but then raised a brow in confusion. "I'm glad, but what did I do?"

Her smile dropped in the moment that it had appeared. "What do you mean? Aren't you the one who sent me these?" she queries, holding up her bouquet of roses that she had received earlier.

He gazed at it wonderingly. He was curious as to where she had got them from, but was too caught up in her behavior to address it. "No… at least, I don't recall ever doing such a thing."

Her excitement faded. "You mean… these are not from you?"

"I don't think so…"

Silence fell between them, and it was a long while before Anzu could speak. "Then… someone else sent me these?

"It would appear that way. It looks like you might have a secret admirer, but I'm not surprised. Who wouldn't love you?" he teased, playfully poking her nose.

She smiled and felt her cheeks slightly heat up. "I guess I might… but it doesn't matter. The only person I want is you."

As his arm wrapped securely around her waist and pulled her close to him, she couldn't help but look back into the sunset in an almost yearning manner.

"_I wonder… who this "secret admirer" is?" _

X

Sunlight spilled into the room and directly onto Anzu's tightly shut eyes. She groaned at the offensive light and slowly opened her bleary eyes. As her vision cleared, she found that she had passed out on the couch once again. Atem must have went to bed. She felt bad for leaving him alone last night, but she had been exhausted and hadn't bothered to go to bed, even when Atem strongly advised her to after dinner.

"Mrs. Mazaki?(1)" a cheery voice suddenly called from the opposite side of the door.

Anzu groaned and tiredly rubbed at her eyes before reluctantly swinging her legs off the couch and answering the door. "Yes?"

The bright and energetic young man smiled widely. "This package is for you, ma'm. It seems as though someone has taken a liking to you." He winked before turning and walking to the next apartment.

"_Another one?"_

With suspicions already growing in her mind, she checked the card that was attached to the gift.

"_I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you haven't figured out who I am yet. That's okay. I'll wait as long as it takes. _

_I bet you're probably rather curious as to who I am, but I'm not going to tell. You have to figure it out on your own. It's like a game. I love games, don't you?_

_I do hope you'll like this- I thought of you when I got it. It reminded me of your beautiful eyes._

_Please give some thought as to who I might be. I know I said I would wait, but I'm getting rather impatient. I don't like waiting, but I really don't want to reveal myself to you until the time is right."_

This was definitely the same person. It was the same style of writing. It seemed clear that the gifts wouldn't stop until Anzu figured out just who it was sending them. He was giving her small little clues here and there.

The line about games intrigued her. She had a small thought form in the back of her mind; a possible answer to the question of who this was. But she shook her head, dismissing it. There was no way _that_ was true.

She let curiosity get the best of her, and so she cautiously opened the small navy blue box. There, inside, was a necklace. The chain was silver, and the jewel in the middle was pure sapphire. She gently pulled the necklace out of the box and held it up in front of her, examining it closely.

"It's beautiful…" she murmured, and for some reason, she recalled the line in the card about her having beautiful eyes.

She was tempted to write back to this person, to tell them that while their gifts were sweet, they were not going to win her heart. She already had someone special anyway, a _husband, _so truthfully she shouldn't be even entertaining these gifts. But the necklace was certainly gorgeous, and from what she could tell it was real.

"_I'll wear it just for today, but only because it's so pretty." _She concluded as she placed it around her neck.

"Anzu, who was at the door?"

At the sound of her husband's voice, Anzu quickly stuffed the necklace underneath her shirt. "Just the mailman."

X

He was hard at work; the Spirit of the Ring was. He had always been like that. He always put his best into everything he did, no matter what it was. He never left a task unfinished, even when he lacked motivation to continue.

"Writing another one, are you?" Ryou questioned in an attempt to start a conversation. It had been rather quiet in the house ever since Bakura began his new "project".

The white-haired spirit blinked and glanced up at his former host. "What's it to you?"

Ryou smiled and shrugged. "Nothing really. While it's really nice, I just think that this isn't the right way to go about winning her heart."

Bakura immediately stopped writing and faced Ryou with a burning chocolate gaze. Ryou had been giving him such a smug and knowing look, and it annoyed him to no end. "Who says I want to win her heart?"

Ryou's lips held the slightest bit of a smirk. "Well, perhaps I did go a bit far with that statement. Let me rephrase that: I'm surprised that you would devote so much of your time to trying to make up for what you did to Anzu. You feel bad, don't you?"

His eyes snapped upward at the direct accusation. "I do _not_ feel bad, Ryou."

"Then why are you sending her all these gifts?"

"Stay out of my business! What I do is none of your concern!"

Ryou sighed, almost in defeat, before that small smirk suddenly returned. "You want her to like you again, right?"

Bakura rolled his eyes before tossing the pen onto the coffee table. "I could care less what she thinks of me…"

Ryou gave him a disbelieving glare. "That's a lie and we both know it. Now then, what have you written so far in that one?"

He was surprised to see Bakura's eyes go wide. "I'm not reading it out-loud!"

He quirked a brow. "Why?"

Bakura stubbornly folded his arms over his chest. "I don't want to. I never asked for any of your help anyway."

"_He's like a five year old." _Ryou thought to himself. "Then let me read it."

"Fine." Bakura tossed him the card, and Ryou could have sworn he saw a faint red dancing across Bakura's cheeks as he left the room.

"_You still don't know? Oh well, I suppose I'll just have to keep trying until you finally realize. The answer may be quite a shock._

_Something I don't think you're aware of is that I know you're married, yet I still pursue you. That's my whole problem- I've tried countless times to let you go, but you keep pulling me back in. That's not very nice, you kn-"_

He almost pitied Bakura as he read the unfinished card. At this point, it was pretty clear that he was rather confused about his sudden unrequited feelings for the brunette dancer. Bakura had too much pride to directly apologize once and for all, and so Ryou figured this was his way of earning her forgiveness. He wished there was something he could do to get them together, but he had no place to do so.

And so it was decided. He would watch from the shadows and hope for the best.

_To Be Continued_

**A/N: That concludes chapter 6. Hopefully you enjoyed! Review please! **

**(1)-I had Anzu keep her last name. In this story, Atem doesn't live as Yuugi's "brother", and they don't share a last name. Atem doesn't really have a last name, so I had Anzu keep her own. (And no, I absolutely refused to make his name Atem Sennen. No.)**

**~MN**


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